Holiday Hits: Happy New Year!

I hope everyone has a happy, healthy, prosperous, and fun new year in 2026! 🎉🐶🎉

Holiday Hits: Season's Greetings!

From Homemade Gifts Made Easy

Wishing everyone Season's Greetings, Happy Holidays, and Merry Christmas! ❄️🎅🎁🎄⛄️❄️

 

Holiday Hits: Happy Thanksgiving!

From Country Living

I hope everyone has a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!

Holiday Hits: Halloween Has Arrived!

From 12542545

Here's to a safe, spooktacular, and happy Halloween for all! 🎃👻🎃

Wish List Wednesdays: The Cutest Literary Ghosts for Halloween

From Amazon

Ghost décor for Halloween seems to be everywhere this year.  While I love a good ghost story (probably my favorite horror genre), I had no ghost-themed items for Halloween - until this year.  Reading ghosts in particular really caught my fancy, so I ordered a couple of ghostly items with a literary theme and am quite pleased them.

I always try to have a Halloween jigsaw puzzle to work on in October, and when I saw this 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle ($21.99 from Amazon) of a cute ghost sitting in a cozy library enjoying a hot beverage I could not resist.  There are a number of Halloween-themed puzzles available at this same link, most of which are spooky cute rather than scary, so if ghosts are not your thing you still might find a different puzzle that appeals to you.

I try to limit the amount of seasonal décor I buy since I already have so much, but the GlowSpirit Ghost Light ($26.88 for two 6-inch lights from Amazon) is small enough to use anywhere and stores easily when not in use.  And the smiling faces of these little ghosts as they happily read a book are just the right cheerful note for a not too scary October.

Finally, to continue the cozy reading ghost theme, I just had to have this Halloween Reading Ghost Ceramic Mug ($10.82 from Walmart).  At eleven ounces it is on the small side, but except for my morning breakfast tea I prefer a smaller mug, so it will work perfectly for afternoon or evening hot beverages.

I think I am now set for a sweetly spooky Halloween, working on a fun jigsaw puzzle while sipping a hot beverage, my cute little reading ghost lights looking on while glowing softly.  What more could one ask for really?  👻🎃👻

Holiday Hits: Happy National Black Dog Day!

October 1st is National Black Dog Day, which encourages the adoption of darker-colored dogs who are less likely do be adopted simply because of their color.  Above is a picture of our dog Mae.  We adopted her in October 2023 and have no regrets.  She is the sweetest of dogs, gets along well with her sister Madison, and loves going for walks with our neighbor's dogs.  If you are thinking of adopting a dog, please do not overlook the darker ones because of their color - they are wonderful companions just like lighter-colored dogs!

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2025

Wishing everyone a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year! 🎉😊🎉

White Christmas Animated Ecard by Jacquie Lawson

Have a wonderfully joyous Christmas/Hannukah day, everyone, whether you celebrate those holidays or not! 😄🌲🎄🎅⛄❄️🎁🌟🍬

This 'n That Thursdays: An Advent Tea Tin

One of the Christmas gifts I  received was this Harney & Sons Nutcracker Blend Tea Tin ($16.95 for 30 sachets).  I enjoy the flavor of the tea sachets in the tin, but I just love the cute design of the tin itself.  I plan to keep this tin after the tea is gone, and I know exactly how I will be using it.  Advent calendars with little gift slots for each of the 24 days before Christmas seem to be very popular right now.  I have been looking for one that includes a tea bag for each day, but I only like black or white tea and all of the advent tea calendars that I have found include green, rooibos, and/or herbal teas in the collection.  You can also find empty advent calendars to fill yourself, but the nicest ones are expensive and they tend to be rather large, which means yet another decorative item that has to be stored somewhere until next Christmas.

When I got this cute nutcracker tin, it occurred to me that I could use it as a sort of advent calendar.  It has plenty of room for 24 tea bags, and since I drink tea at least once every day I always have plenty of tea bags on hand.  If I start now saving one or two foil-wrapped tea bags from every box I open, it will not take me long to collect 24 of them.  I tend to switch the types and flavors of tea I drink throughout the year, so I am pretty sure I can have 24 different types of black tea by the time we reach the month of December.  Best of all, this compact tea tin is much easier to store than a bulky advent calendar, and I can reuse it year after year.  I am really looking forward to putting this advent tea tin together as the year progresses, and can't wait to start using it when December 1st finally arrives!

Terrifying Tuesdays: This Week's Favorite Mid-Century Scary Movies to Watch (Week 4)

From Amazon

Happy Halloween!  For this last week of favorite mid-century scary movies, I have links to six of the seven movies I have listed.  First up is "The Monster That Challenged the World" (1957) which can be viewed on DailyMotion here.  An earthquake in California releases prehistoric giant molluscs with a taste for humans and the ability to reproduce quickly in California's waterways.  Can the US navy stop them in time?  Find out by watching the film!

From Amazon

Next up we have "Mysterious Island" (1961) which can be watched here on DailyMotion.  Four prisoners being held in a Confederate army prison escape in a balloon along with a Confederate soldier who tries to stop them.  A violent storm blows them off course and causes them to crash on an unknown island.  Here they struggle to survive while attempting to figure out a way to leave the island, which is full of unusual oversized creatures and a menacing volcano.  Will they survive long enough to escape the Mysterious Island?  Watch the movie if you want to find out!

The third film, which you can watch on YouTube (above), is "The Quatermass Xperiment" (1955), AKA "The Creeping Unknown" in the United States.  A manned rocket designed by Professor Bernard Quatermass crash lands to Earth, and only one of the three astronauts on board survives.  As he recovers in a hospital, the astronaut begins to undergo horrendous changes and escapes.  Quatermass must track the man down and find a way to stop him before he spreads an alien organism that will destroy the world.  Will Quatermass succeed?  See the film to find out!

From Amazon

A giant bug movie is next for your viewing pleasure (I could not find a free video showing for Them! (1954), the second giant bug movie on my list for this week).  The link for Tarantula (1955) on Vimeo is available here.  Leo G. Carroll stars as a research scientist whose experiments go horribly awry, creating an enormous tarantula that threatens a small Arizona town.  Can the local doctor and the scientist's newest research assistant (played by John Agar and Mara Corday, respectively) find a way to stop the horrendous beast?  Once again, you can only find out if you watch the film!

Image from Amazon (DVD link here)

Last but not least for this week is "The Uninvited" (1944), which is my favorite classic ghost movie.  The only video link I could find is in two parts on DailyMotion - see Part 1 here and Part 2 here.  Brother and sister Roderick (Ray Milland) and Pamela (Ruth Hussey) Fitzgerald accidentally stumble upon and fall in love with an unoccupied seaside abode called Windward House, and are able to purchase it from the owner, Commander Beech (Donald Crisp) for an unusually low price.  They soon find out that there is a reason the house was such a bargain, and delve into the mystery of the house which involves the Commander's deceased daughter Mary, his granddaughter Stella (Gail Russell), and his daughter's best friend, the superbly sinister Miss Holloway (Cornelia Otis Skinner).  With the help of the local doctor (Alan Napier) they eventually find out why the house is haunted, but not without several perilous moments for young Stella.  Throw in a cute little dog, a motherly housekeeper with a fluffy cat, and a few comedic moments from Milland's character, and you have the most perfect cozy creepy ghost story to watch on All Hallow's Eve!

So there you have it - six links to free online videos perfect for scary Halloween viewing!  Have fun watching one or more or even all of them today if you so desire, or do whatever it is that makes you happy on this spooky holiday (just pace yourself with the Halloween candy 😜).  👻🎃💀🐍👽

This 'n That Thursdays: A Few Good Reads for Halloween

 

For me, the colder and shorter days of fall and winter are the best days to start reading spooky tales.  I have four recommendations that would be perfect for Halloween, starting with The Bone Key: The Necromantic Mysteries of Kyle Murchison Booth by Sarah Monette.  Sarah Monette is an excellent writer, Kyle Murchison Booth is an unlikely but endearing protagonist, and it is refreshing to read supernatural tales written in the traditional style but from a contemporary woman's point of view.  This is the best supernatural short story collection I have read in a long time, and I highly recommend it.

Next up is A Theory of Haunting also by Sarah Monette, a short novel which marks the return of Kyle Murchison Booth, the protagonist of the impressive previously mentioned collection of short stories.  Monette continues Booth's saga in this book, and it does not disappoint.  It is short enough to read in one day, but I would suggest reading the short story collection first to become familiar with Booth's back story.  That said, you can still enjoy the book even if you read it first.

Another short story anthology recommendation is Horror Stories for Halloween by Tony Walker.  Tony Walker is the narrator of the Classic Ghost Stories Podcast as well as the author of a number of supernatual-themed books.  This collection covers a variety of supernatural themes.  If you are looking for a read that will get you into the mood for spooky season, give this book a try.

My last recommendation is Ghosts from the Library: Lost Tales of Terror and the Supernatural (A Bodies from the Library special) edited by Tony Medawar.  I have just started reading this one so cannot yet give an opinion, but this is a collection of lesser-known works by familiar mystery authors, so I have a feeling I am really going to enjoy this one.  This anthology of supernatural tales is a slight departure for the Bodies from the Library series, which usually focuses on mystery stories by authors from the Golden Age of detective fiction.

Happy Halloween reading to all who enjoy these types of tales! 👻🎃💀🐍👽

Terrifying Tuesdays: My Favorite Mid-Century Scary Movies for Halloween

From Love This Pic

In case you did not notice, to the left of my blog page I have added a list of my favorite mid-century movies for Halloween.  In my opinion these old movies are some of the best creepy films to watch, although I have added a few that have some frightening or supernatural elements but are more comedic than horrific, just to give you a break from scares now and then.  I will add a new selection every day - we are up to three today.  Every week I will add a link to any of these movies that are available free online.  This week I have a link to the movie "Attack of the Crab Monsters" (1957) that you can watch on YouTube:

  

 I hope you have as much fun watching these old classics as I do! 👻🎃💀🐍👽

Terrifying Tuesdays: Sunless Solstice: Strange Christmas Tales for the Longest Nights

It has been quite a while since I have done a Terrifying Tuesday post, but I am one of those people who loves that old tradition of telling ghost stories around a roaring fire during the winter holiday season, and the book I am currently reading is perfect for evoking a supernatural chill on a long December evening.  Sunless Solstice: Strange Christmas Tales for the Longest Nights is an anthology edited by Lucy Evans and Tanya Kirk for the British Library Tales of the Weird series.  This collection features twelve stories set during the shortest days of the year, written by authors both well-known and obscure and originally published from 1893 to 1974.  Some are gentle tales while others are sinister, but each one sets just the right tone for a satisfying ghost story during this cold and dark time of the year.  If you too love a good ghost story I highly recommend checking out this book as well as others in the series - I think you will find them quite enjoyable in a spooky sort of way!

Wish List Wednesdays: Valentine's Day Red Heart Pendant Necklace from Chico's

Necklaces are about the only jewelry that I wear (except for a few favorite cuff bracelets), and I have an impressive collection, but if I were looking for a new necklace then the Valentine's Day Red Heart Pendant from Chico's ($39.50, but currently on sale for 25% off) would be at the top of my list.  I love the simplicity, the pendant style, and most of all the adjustable length, since one of my biggest problems with necklaces is trying to match the necklace length to the necklines of my tops.  Multiple layers and thick sweaters in colder weather call for longer necklaces, so one that adjusts means that I could wear this pendant more often no matter what outfit I am wearing.  I think it may be time to drop a few hints to a certain someone about a perfect Valentine's Day gift!

Foodie Fridays: Peppermint Muffin-Tin Cookies

Even though I did not have time to make cut-out cookies like gingerbread men or the marranitos I made last year, I decided I did have time to try these easy Peppermint Muffin-Tin Cookies from Food Network.  I have never made color-dyed cookie dough before so the minimal effort was worth it to attempt something new this year.  I must say I was surprised that these cookies were so easy to make even though they look complicated!  It is a bit of a chore to have to fill each muffin cup with tiny bits of the two dough colors to achieve the alternating colors, but this recipe only makes twelve cookies so it really does not take long.

The recipe suggests using a mixer, but I prefer to do all of my mixing by hand.  Other than ending up with a red hand thanks to the food coloring, mixing by hand worked just as well (the color wears off quickly but wear a plastic glove if you prefer).  I let my cookies cool in the pan a little too long and an offset spatula did not work to remove them, but fortunately I had a knife with a thin and flexible blade that did the trick.

I did find that these cookies are more festive than flavorful, although the mint extract does become more noticeable if you allow them to sit for a day.  If I make these again I might stir some crushed candy cane bits into the dough, and would definitely add a thin layer of chocolate ganache to the tops of the cookies before topping with the sprinkles to emphasize the Peppermint Pattie flavor more.  (The colors make these cookies suitable for Valentine's Day as well, so maybe I will try my improvements then.)  If you bake for the holidays I hope you had as much fun as I did making these!

Peppermint Muffin-Tin Cookies

2 1/2 C. flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 C. sugar
1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. peppermint extract
1 large egg
Red gel food coloring
12 York Miniatures Peppermint Patties, frozen
1/4 cup red and white sprinkles

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.  Beat the sugar and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer, or in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the vanilla, peppermint extract, and egg.  Turn the mixer to low speed, add the flour mixture, and mix 1-2 minutes until completely incorporated.

Remove half of the dough and set aside.  Add 5-6 drops of the food coloring to the remaining dough in the mixer bowl and mix on low speed until completely incorporated (add more coloring if you want a more intense red - I did this accidentally by squeezing too hard on the bottle, but I like the intensely red color I got as a result!).

Alternating between the red and white doughs, spoon 8 heaping 1/4 teaspoon-sized pieces of dough (4 red and 4 white) into the bottom of each of the 12 cups of a standard muffin tin.  Press to flatten the dough so the red and white pieces intermingle and form a slight tie-dye look.  Place a frozen peppermint pattie on top of and in the middle of each dough round, pressing very gently into the dough but making sure it does not break through and touch the bottom of the pan.  Spoon 8 more heaping 1/4 teaspoon-sized pieces of dough (4 red and 4 white), alternating the colors, on top of each peppermint patty and press to flatten and completely cover the peppermint patties.

Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the red and white sprinkles on top of the dough in each muffin cup to completely cover it.  Refrigerate until the dough is firm, about 1 hour (or freeze until firm, about 20 minutes).

Bake at 350 degrees for 13 to 15 minutes, until the edges just start to turn golden.  Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then use an offset spatula to remove the cookies from the pan to a wire rack to cool completely, about 30 minutes.  Makes 12 cookies.

This 'n That Thursdays: Gingerbread Treats for Christmas

Image from Brand Eating

While pumpkin spice may be a favorite for many, I am much more a fan of gingerbread spice, mostly because I love the combination of lots of ginger with cinnamon.  I am always on the lookout for gingerbread-flavored treats for Christmas, and this year I found several.  I recently purchased the OREO Gingerbread Sandwich Cookies shown above online as I was unable to find any locally.  I have yet to try them, but how bad could an Oreo cookie be, especially one flavored with my favorite spices?

Image from Hersheyland

I did manage to find a bag of KITKAT Gingerbread Cookie Miniatures Candy Bars a couple of weeks ago, and I am glad I got them when I did because they are all gone now!  The gingerbread flavor is subtle and they are a bit too sweet, but I liked them well enough for the holiday season that I would buy them again for Christmas next year.

Image from Amazon

I think my favorite gingerbread-flavored find this year is Twinings Gingerbread Joy, a black tea perfectly spiced with ginger and cinnamon that tastes and smells remarkably like gingerbread.  This is another product that I was lucky to find locally, as it is sold out here now.  I loved this tea so much that when I first tried it I had two cups in one day, something I never do!  I hope Twinings keeps making this tea every year for the holidays (I would even buy it at any time of the year).

If you love gingerbread as much as I do, you might want to give these products a try - if you can find them!  The only item I have had a hard time finding here is really good gingerbread man cookies, which are my husband's favorite.  I wish I had the time to bake them, but we are just too busy unpacking right now - maybe next year, if we are finally done unpacking by Christmas 2022!

Wish List Wednesdays: Talbots Reindeer Fair Isle Sweater

I mentioned in a previous post that I was on the hunt for a Christmas-themed sweater that did not fall into the category of "ugly Christmas sweater", and I do believe I finally found one!  The Reindeer Fair Isle Sweater ($89.50, but on sale for 40% off) from Talbots has the classic fair isle pattern around the bottom, cuffs, and neckline, but also features a subtle and sweet little reindeer sporting a fair isle sweater on the front.  I am always a sucker for clothing featuring animals, so for me this is the perfect Christmas sweater.  I also love the colors and the fact that it is mostly cotton.  Reviews mention that it is a lightweight sweater, but I actually prefer a less bulky sweater that can be worn as a second layer over a long-sleeved tee, so this should work well for me.  I have already placed my order - I just hope that it arrives in time for Christmas!

Wish List Wednesdays: Two Good Reads for the Holidays

Our holidays are particularly chaotic this year as we continue to unpack our moving boxes, but I still try to find a little time to relax with a good book when I can.  Currently I am reading two short story anthologies as I find it easier to quickly read one story at a time whenever I can fit in a short reading break.  I am really enjoying The Christmas Card Crime and Other Stories ($14.99 on Amazon) edited by Martin Edwards, which is one of his British Library Crime Classics featuring holiday-themed short stories written during the Golden Age of detective fiction.  If you are a fan of short mystery fiction, check out the other Martin Edwards anthologies here.

The other anthology I will be reading for the holidays this year is The Penguin Book of Christmas Stories: From Hans Christian Andersen to Angela Carter ($13.56 on Amazon), which is one of the Penguin Classics Hardcover books.  All of the stories have a Christmas theme, but the genres range from fairy tales to ghost stories, so this should be a fascinating read.  I intend to start this one on Christmas day, which I plan to spend quietly, doing as little work as possible and only engaging in cozy and enjoyable activities.  I hope your holiday plans include only fun activities as well!

Wish List Wednesdays: Republic of Tea Sip and Be Merry Holiday Gift Tea

I recently received a catalog in the mail from The Republic of Tea which included a free teabag for a Christmas black tea called Sip and Be Merry - smart marketing, because as soon as I tried it I decided I had to get a tin!  The Sip and Be Merry Holiday Gift Tea ($12.95 for 50) is a tasty black tea flavored with sweet blackberry leaves, natural caramel and vanilla flavors, and cardamom seeds.  It really does taste like Christmas in a cup!  This is a limited edition seasonal tea, so if you are interested you should order soon.  Hot tea is my favorite cold weather beverage, and I love a good flavored tea that is inspired by holiday spices, so I am really looking forward to having this tea for the upcoming holidays!

Wish List Wednesdays: Williams Sonoma Peppermint Bark Dog Mug

We are only just getting started on unpacking our unbelievably huge amount of belongings that arrived not long ago from Georgia after we sold our house there, and I certainly do not need any more mugs, but how could a Dalmatian lover like myself possibly resist the Peppermint Bark Dog Mug ($12.95) from Williams Sonoma featuring their iconic Dalmatian?  The 19-ounce mug made of high-fired porcelain is perfect for the upcoming holiday season, and will probably be about the only holiday décor we will be able to find before Christmas at the relatively slow rate we are unpacking right now!  Somewhere in those piles of boxes are various tins from the Williams Sonoma Peppermint Bark collection, including the adorable Peppermint Bark Dog Tin, but for this year these mugs will be our Christmas Dalmatians.  Williams Sonoma has also introduced Dalmatian-shaped Bark Dog Marshmallow Mugtoppers, but I don't think I could bring myself to eat one - they are just too cute!

How could I possibly eat one of these cuties?